The TV adaptation of Deborah Harkness’ historical fantasy novel,A Discovery Of Witches, has set its lead cast. The Sky Original Production from Bad Wolf will star Hacksaw Ridge‘s Teresa Palmer as heroine Diana Bishop and Downton Abbey alum Matthew Goode as vampire Matthew Clairmont. Sky1 and Now TV will air in the UK and Ireland, Harkness announced on social media. Shooting begins next month at Wolf Studios in Wales.

Discovery Of Witches is the first installment of Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy, which has sold more than 3.5M copies worldwide. Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner’s UK/U.S. Bad Wolf production shingle acquired the rights in 2016 with a view to adapting all three books.

Originally published in 2011, Discovery is the story of Diana, a young scholar at Oxford who is a descendant of the Salem witches. When she accidentally unlocks an enchanted manuscript, she is compelled to embrace the magic in her blood and enters a forbidden romance with charming 1,500-year-old vampire Matthew. The second All Souls novel, Shadow Of Night, was published in 2012 followed by The Book Of Life in 2014.

Penguin

Kate Brooke (Mr Selfridge) penned the adaptation and is showrunner. Tranter, Gardner and Harkness are exec producers. Painless and The Limehouse Golem‘s Juan Carlos Medina is set to direct the first three episodes.

Palmer is repped by WME, Management 360 and Shanahan Management and Sloane, Offer, Weber and Dern; Goode is with CAA and Dalzell and Beresford. Medina is repped by WME, Think Tank Mgmt and Casarotto, Ramsay & Associates.